Garment with hidden insulated beverage holder

ABSTRACT

A beverage holding garment wherein the beverage holder is disposed in the garment such that it is substantially concealed when not in use so that the garment appears to not have a beverage holder.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/178,876, filed Jul. 8, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/363,073 filed Jul. 9, 2010 and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design application Ser. No. 29/355,667 filed Feb. 11, 2010, now U.S. Design Pat. No. D627,540.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide a garment with a beverage holder as disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D600,877 and D570,577. Such garments provide the advantage of allowing the wearer to hold onto a beverage container while keeping his/her hands free for other purposes. While the foregoing patented designs may serve their intended purpose, some individuals may prefer a garment having a beverage holder that is hidden or inconspicuous when not in use such that the garment appears to be an ordinary or conventional garment without a beverage holder. Furthermore, the foregoing patented designs do not appear to disclose a beverage holder that is insulated. It is therefore desirable to provide a garment having an insulated beverage holder that is hidden or inconspicuous when not in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of one type of garment with a hidden insulated beverage holder in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is the same view as FIG. 1, but with the beverage container received in the hidden insulated beverage holder.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of a pattern for forming an insulated beverage holder for use in a garment.

FIG. 3B is a plan view of a pattern with corner cutouts for forming an insulated beverage holder for use in a garment.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the insulated beverage holder formed from the pattern of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the insulated beverage holder formed from the pattern of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the insulated beverage holder of FIG. 4B with the addition of fabric corners.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the garment with hidden insulated beverage holder as viewed along lines 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is the same view as in FIG. 6 with the beverage removed and showing the insulated beverage holder in a collapsed condition.

FIG. 8 is a partial cut-away, front elevation view of the garment with hidden insulated beverage holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of another garment with a hidden insulated beverage holder in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the garment with hidden insulated beverage holder as viewed along lines 10-10 of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention 10 comprising a garment 20 with hidden insulated beverage holder 30 adapted to receive and hold a beverage container 40 (FIG. 2). Although the garment 20 is depicted as a hooded sweatshirt in FIGS. 1 and 2, it should be appreciated that the garment 20 may be any item of clothing, including, without limitation, sweatshirts, coats, pants, shorts, etc. It is contemplated that the garment 20 will typically be outer-wear apparel made of a material that can more readily hold and support a beverage container without the garment stretching or deforming, and without causing the garment to pull away from the wearer, as one would expect to occur with a T-shirt or other lightweight clothing or under garment material. Nevertheless, the present invention is intended to include within its scope any type of garment, whether outer-wear, an under garment, or other apparel item in which an insulated beverage holder may be disposed anywhere in the garment.

The beverage holder 30 is preferably disposed so as to be concealed or hidden within the garment 20. As best depicted in the hooded sweatshirt embodiment of FIGS. 1-2 and 6-7, the beverage holder 30 is preferably disposed so as to be hidden within the pocket 21 of the sweatshirt such that when a beverage is not in the beverage holder 30, the garment 20 appears to be a conventional or ordinary sweatshirt.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the beverage holder 30 is preferably comprised of a single piece of material having matching sides 31, 32 which preferably fold together along a crease or fold line 33, which preferably corresponds to a line of symmetry between the two sides 31, 32. The side edges 34, 35 of the holder 30 are preferably secured together by stitches or other suitable connecting means to form a pouch having an open end 36 (FIG. 4A). The side edges 34, 35 may include cutouts 37, 38 (FIGS. 3B and 4B) centered along the fold line 33 which may promote the collapsing of the two sides of the pouch in a substantially flat relation.

In the preferred embodiment, the material for the holder 30 preferably comprises polyurethane foam, approximately ⅛ inch thick, with a polyester brushed fabric backing and a polyester fabric face. It should be appreciated that the insulating foam helps keep the beverage cooler for a longer period of time and holds the beverage container more securely to prevent it from inadvertently falling out of the pouch than if the holder 30 was made of non-insulating material.

It has been determined that a 4¾″×11″ piece of material will produce a finished pouch (FIG. 4) that folds substantially flat for concealing in most garments while still holding most standard size beverage containers. When folded and stitched along the mating side edges 34, 35, the finished pouch will have an opening 36 of approximately 4¼ inches wide which is sufficient to receive beverage containers ranging from twelve to twenty-four ounce bottles. Of course, if it is desired to have a larger or smaller holder 30, or if a holder with greater or less insulating properties is desired, modification of the size and/or type of the insulated material and/or the configuration of the pocket can be made as would be readily recognized and understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The cutouts 37, 38, if desired, may measure 2½″×1½″ or any other suitable dimension to promote the holder folding flat so that it is concealed inconspicuously within the garment.

The holder 30 can serve the dual purpose of holding other smaller items when not holding beverage containers. It should be appreciated that if the holder includes the corner cutouts 37, 38, it may be desirable to close-off the cutouts 37, 38 by stitching or securing polyester or other fabric corners 39 over the cutouts as illustrated in FIG. 5. Of course, if the holder 30 does not include cutouts 37, 38, the additional fabric corners 39 would not be required. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5, hook and loop fastener strips 42 such as Velcro® or other suitable fastening means, such as zippers, snaps, etc., may be placed near the opening 36 to allow the holder 30 to be closed to prevent items placed therein from inadvertently falling out.

Although the insulated holder 30 is particularly adapted for holding beverage containers, the holder 30 may also be used for holding mp3 players or other electronic devices. A small opening 50 may be provided through the holder 30 and garment 20 for feeding a headphone cord therethrough for the electronic device. Although the opening 50, is preferably on the inside (i.e., body side) of the holder and garment such that the headphone cord is concealed under the garment, the opening 50 may also be provided through outside of the garment or both.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a bottle 40 disposed within the holder 30 of the hooded sweatshirt garment 20 as viewed along lines 6-6 of FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is the same view as FIG. 6, but with the beverage container 40 removed to show how the holder 30 collapses so as to be substantially flat and inconspicuous when not in use.

FIG. 8 is a partial cut-away, front elevation view of the hooded sweatshirt garment 20 showing the beverage holder 30 concealed behind the front pocket 21 of the sweatshirt. To prevent the holder 30 from being pulled up with the beverage container 40 as it is lifted from the garment, the back side 32 of the holder 30 is preferably secured to the garment 20 by a vertical stitch 41. The vertical stitch 41 also helps keep the pouch flat so the holder 30 remains hidden and inconspicuous when not in use.

FIG. 9 illustrates yet another embodiment of another garment 20 with a hidden insulated beverage holder 30 in accordance with the present invention 10. The garment 20 of FIG. 9 is depicted as a pair of shorts in which the beverage holder 30 is concealed within a pocket 21 of the shorts. The holder 30 depicted in the embodiment of FIG. 9 is preferably the same material, size and construction as discussed above. Also, similar to the embodiment of the hooded sweatshirt garment, the holder 30 is preferably secured within the pocket 21 of the shorts 20 by a vertical stitch (41 not visible) to prevent the holder from being pulled up with the beverage container 40 as it is lifted from the garment. The holder 30 is preferably positioned and secured by the vertical stitch 41 within the pocket 21 to allow the pocket 21 to still be used by the wearer for holding other items. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the wearer can access the pocket 21 behind the holder 30. Alternatively, the holder 30 could be secured to the back of the pocket 21 thereby allowing access to the pocket 21 in front of the holder 30.

The foregoing description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment, and the general principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. Thus, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawing figures but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the appended claims. 

1. An article of apparel comprising: a front panel; a pouch attached to the front panel, an interior surface of the pouch and the front panel defining an interior area of the pouch; and a pocket comprising a first end, a closed end opposite the first end, and a body joining the first end and the closed end, the pocket adjacent to the front panel and disposed within the interior area of the pouch, wherein a first side of the first end of the pocket is attached to the front panel and a second side of the first end of the pocket is attached to the pouch proximate to an uppermost edge of the pouch, and wherein the first and second sides of the first end of the pocket are removably attached to one another.
 2. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the second side of the first end of the pocket is disposed in facing opposition to the first side of the first end of the pocket.
 3. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the first and second sides of the first end of the pocket comprise a reclosable fastener.
 4. The article of apparel of claim 3, wherein the reclosable fastener comprises a hook and loop fastener.
 5. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the first side of the first end of the pocket is fixedly attached to the front panel by a pocket seam and the second side of the first end of the pocket is fixedly attached to the pouch by a pouch seam.
 6. The article of apparel of claim 5, wherein the pouch seam is substantially aligned with the pocket seam when the first end of the pocket is in a closed position.
 7. The article of apparel of claim 6, wherein the first end of the pocket is aligned with the uppermost edge of the pouch.
 8. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the second side of the first end of the pocket is substantially aligned with the uppermost edge of the pouch.
 9. The article of apparel of claim 6, wherein the first side of the first end of the pocket is substantially aligned with the uppermost edge of the pouch in the closed position.
 10. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the first end of the pocket is adapted to receive a beverage container.
 11. The article of apparel of claim 10, wherein the second end of the pocket is adapted to support the beverage container.
 12. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the closed end comprises a gap.
 13. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the pocket is collapsible.
 14. The article of apparel of claim 6, wherein the body of the pocket is flat in the closed position.
 15. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a thermally-insulating material.
 16. The article of apparel of claim 1 further comprising: a back panel opposite the front panel; and a hood attached to the front and back panels.
 17. The article of apparel of claim 16, wherein a loop is coupled with the hood.
 18. The article of apparel of claim 17, wherein the hood is attached to the front and back panels by a hood seam and the loop is attached to the hood seam.
 19. The article of apparel of claim 17, wherein the loop is adapted to retain earphones.
 20. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein the pouch comprises a first opening and a second opening opposite the first opening.
 21. The article of apparel of claim 20, wherein the body of the pocket is accessible from the first and second openings.
 22. The article of apparel of claim 1, wherein an eyelet is disposed in the front panel behind the pouch.
 23. An article of apparel comprising: a front panel; a pouch attached to the front panel; a pocket comprising a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a body joining the first and second ends; and means for selectively opening and closing the first end of the pocket, wherein the pocket is disposed between the pouch and the front panel and wherein the first end of the pocket is attached to the pouch and the front panel.
 24. The article of apparel of claim 23, wherein the first end of the pocket is aligned with an uppermost edge of the pouch.
 25. The article of apparel of claim 23, wherein the first end of the pocket comprises a first side and a second side opposite the first side.
 26. The article of apparel of claim 25, wherein the opening and closing means is attached to the first and second sides of the first end of the pocket.
 27. The article of apparel of claim 26, wherein the opening and closing means comprises a hook and loop fastener.
 28. The article of apparel of claim 25, wherein the first side of the first end of the pocket is attached to the front panel and the second side of the first end of the pocket is attached to the pouch.
 29. The article of apparel of claim 23, wherein the second end is substantially closed.
 30. The article of apparel of claim 23, wherein an interior surface of the pouch and the front panel define an interior area of the pouch.
 31. The article of apparel of claim 30, wherein the body of the pocket is disposed within the interior area of the pouch.
 32. A method of making an article of apparel comprising a front panel, a pouch attached to the front panel, and a pocket disposed between the pouch and the front panel, the method comprising: attaching a first side of a first end of the pocket to the front panel; and attaching a second side of the first end of the pocket proximate to an uppermost edge of the pouch, wherein the first and second sides of the first end of the pocket are disposed in facing opposition to one another.
 33. The method of claim 32 further comprising positioning the pocket within an interior area of the pouch, wherein the interior area is defined by an interior surface of the pouch and the front panel.
 34. The method of claim 33 further comprising aligning the first end of the pocket with the uppermost edge of the pouch.
 35. The method of claim 34 further comprising removing a portion of the pouch from the front panel.
 36. The method of claim 32 further comprising attaching a reclosable fastener to the first end of the pocket.
 37. The method of claim 32 further comprising forming an eyelet in the front panel proximate to the pocket.
 38. The method of claim 32 further comprising: attaching a hood to the front panel; and attaching a loop to the hood, wherein the loop is adapted to retain earphones.
 39. A method of making an article of apparel comprising a panel comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface, the method comprising: forming a seam in the panel; aligning a first end of a pocket with the seam, the pocket comprising a closed end opposite the first end and a body joining the first end and the closed end; and attaching the first end of the pocket to the interior surface of the panel, wherein the body of the pocket is disposed adjacent to the interior surface of the panel.
 40. The method of claim 39 further comprising, attaching the first end of the pocket below the seam. 